Marshmallows!

You’ll need a Candy Thermometer for this, and if you want shapes, you’ll need Metal Ghost Cutters. If you want simple cubes, you can cut them with a knife.

The marshmallow batter can be spread out as thick or as thin as you’d like. For a ‘smore, I think thinner’s better, so the shapes fit between the crackers more comfortably. This batch will make about 15-20 ghosts, depending on your cutter size, or a few dozen big 1″ cubes (6 dozen? I lost count). They’ll keep for at least a week in an airtight, Tupperware-style container.

This ratio of ingredients comes from Gourmet but I changed the method to make it go a little faster.

For the marshmallows:
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) (25 g) unflavored gelatin
1 cup (240 mL) cold water, divided
2 cups (425 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) light corn syrup (I know people get worked up about the corn syrup, but it’s only a form of sugar, like any other, and helps the marshmallows keep their texture longer.)
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) salt
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or play with other extract flavorings)

For the outer coating:
1/3 cup (40 g) confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons (25 g) corn starch

1. First, sprinkle the the gelatin over half a cup of the water

2. Let it rest for 5 minutes, and continue with the recipe. In 5 minutes it absorbs the water and looks solidified.

3. Meanwhile, grab a high-sided pan, about 13″ x 9″, and give it a spritz with some cooking spray,  line it with parchment, and spritz again. The coating under the paper “glues” the parchment to the pan so it doesn’t slide around when the marshmallow goo gets spread. The second coating keeps the marshmallow from sticking to the parchment.

4. In a small pot go the sugar, corn syrup, salt and the remaining half a cup of the water. This goes over a high flame along with a candy thermometer. This is going to get cooked to 250 degrees F (121 degrees C.) and will take about 7 minutes. Don’t go far! Watch it!

5. While that’s cooking, the egg whites make their way to the KitchenAid bowl. Things happen fast here, so be ready for action. When the sugar is a few degrees away from the goal temperature (of 250 F), at around 245 degrees F, start whipping the egg whites on medium speed. They’ll hopefully be foamy and close to soft peak by the time they’re needed, without being fully whipped. Keep an eye on them.

6. The sugar will come to temperature of 250 degrees F quickly. Shut off the heat, and dump the gelatin blob into the hot, hot, sugar all at once, being careful not to let it splash back on your arms. The heat of the sugar will start to melt the gelatin immediately. Do not stir. Swirl the pan gently until it’s completely dissolved. It should take about 30 seconds.

7. Once it’s completely liquid, I change the whipping egg speed to high, and I slowly pour the sugar down the side of the mixing bowl WHILE the egg whites are whipping on high. A steady stream, if you will.

8. Add the vanilla extract.

Once everything’s in, it may look a little soupy at first. But then, as it whips and cools, the gelatin starts to set and fluff higher. It starts to get more body, and then gets light and fluffy. The streaks starts to hold their shape. This takes about 5-7 minutes.

The best time to stop is when the bowl is in the lukewarm range. Touch the side of the bowl. It should be slightly warmer than room temperature. No need to get worked up about this. It’s just a generality, and there’s plenty of room for error. The stuff shouldn’t get too cool in the bowl, because it starts to firm up, and becomes more difficult to pour out. (Then it will just be stickier and stringier to deal with, but all will not be lost.)

9. Quickly, pull out the whip, and shake off the excess batter (but resist the urge the scrape it clean with a spatula or it will look like you’ve been playing with silly string.) Quickly again, pour the batter into the prepared pan. With a few sure strokes of a rubber spatula, help it along by scraping the bottom. If any batter resists, just let it die its proper death.

10. Spread it around to even it out, and let it rest, UNCOVERED and UNREFRIGERATED for at least 3 hours or overnight.

(FYI —The dirty dishes clean up easily under hot water, which will dissolve all the stuck-on sugars.)

Later:

1. Make the coating powder by stirring together the powdered sugar and the cornstarch.

2. Using a fine mesh seive, sprinkle an even coating over the marshmallow pan.

3. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the marshmallow block, and invert onto a cutting board.

4. Remove the parchment if it’s still stuck to the marshmallow, and sprinkle this side with marshmallow coating.

5. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter, or cut any-sized cubes with a sharp knife or pizza wheel.

6. Toss more coating on the cut marshmallows so they don’t stick to each other, and store in an airtight container for up to a week.